Chapter 1
The small room was quiet as hands gave final adjustments to clothing, smoothing lapels and shrugging shoulders to settle dress jackets. Actor gave a last wiggle to the wings of his white bowtie to get it into the perfect spot. Terry's face was scrunched into a look of frustration. For some reason her hair refused to be restrained by the pearl comb on her left. The Italian gave a crooked grin of amusement as he approached her and took the comb from her hands. She looked up at him, resigned and yet relieved that he had come to her aid. Deftly, the tall man finger-combed the wayward tress with a twist and slid the comb home. The young woman gave her head a tiny shake and smiled when the hair remained in place. Fingertips brushed Actor's arm in thanks as Terry moved off to help Chief.
The youngest member of their group was still learning how to be comfortable in a 'monkey suit.' He was fine with the cuff links, but the bowtie was still a clumsy mystery to fingers that could so delicately stroke a razor sharp blade. Terry approached with a wide smile. Chief surrendered the unwieldy black tie to her quick fingers. He would have to get her or Actor to show him again how to make the correct knot. They both made it look so easy.
Casino, dressed in a suit that he could still make look casual, ambled over to the two with a snickering grin. "Hey, Babe," he said just loud enough so the Italian could hear him. "Why don't you dump Beautiful and spend the evening with me?"
Terry smiled insincerely. "Because Beautiful is a count and you are . . . not."
That got a grin from Chief and a sigh from Actor. They were partially ignored by Goniff who was fidgeting with his uniform, clearly unhappy because he never got to dress up and attend a party like the nobility the others pretended to be. They would get all the good food this time while he was relegated to sitting in the car. Sure an' he could sneak up to the back door like the other blokes what were driving and get a small handout, but he didn't speak the language.
"Yeah, and wot about me?" The whine of complaint in his voice exaggerated Goniff's Cockney accent, drawing stifled smiles from the others. "I 'ave t' drive th' car," he lamented. "You get t' scoff all that nice nosh an' booze an' me; I get nuffin."
Terry walked up and placed a kiss on his cheek. "That's all right, Love," she said soothingly. "I'll sneak you some food."
The blond pickpocket looked pointedly at Terry's small clutch. "And 'ow much are you goin' to fit in that?"
Terry shrugged. "Beautiful has big pockets."
"All right, enough," said Garrison sternly, hiding his amusement at their antics. "Time to leave. Come on. Out."
The quartet headed for the door. Goniff slipped out first and did a quick check of the area. He gave a soft whistle which brought Chief and Terry, who also took up defensive positions, peering into the night, checking for danger.
Casino lagged behind, appreciatively eyeing the low back of Terry's gown that revealed a lot of bare skin. Actor sure knew how to dress her, or not dress her, thought the safecracker. With a grin, he followed his two teammates out.
Back in the safe house, Actor approached Garrison and rolled his eyes.
"The children are restless again," he said with a grin.
Garrison's grim grin answered the con man's. "They better settle down before we get there." He didn't need to elaborate on what would happen if any one of them lost concentration even for a short time.
The drive to the estate where the party was being held was actually quiet. At least for them it was quiet. Terry was seated in the back seat between Actor and her brother. She had been gnawing on something in her mind for a while and patted Actor's leg to get his attention.
"Okay," said Terry. "Teach me how to be fascisti. I was too young to be concerned with politics when I was in Roma. I don't even know how our family leaned." She wasn't about to ask how Actor leaned.
The tall aristocratic man gave a crooked smile. "You needn't worry about that. Just be the supportive wife of your wealthy husband who is a strong supporter of Mussolini. I will take care of our leanings."
"Well," admitted Terry, "I would have to teach you how to be contadini."
He raised an eyebrow at her teasing grin.
"He can pull that off too," Craig assured her.
Actor merely smiled.
GGGGG
Teresa and Actor stepped into the ballroom like the nobility they were pretending to be, the girl's gloved hand in the crook of the confidence man's arm. Terry looked around and began to think the cream evening gown she was wearing made her look underdressed. The dark paneled ballroom, lit with dozens of crystal chandeliers, was maybe half the length of a football field and filled with dress uniforms from several different countries. They were equally mixed with formal dress of the type Actor was wearing; dark suits with frilled white shirts and rich vests or cummerbunds. The women were awash in colors. Cloth rationing seemed to be ignored by the fashion houses in Paris.
Actor's eyes were casually studying the people and watching for trouble. He took note of Garrison moving from group to group, making small talk. Casino and Chief were in apparent conversation with each other by the entrance to the huge room. Satisfied that things were safe for now, he turned a smile onto his partner.
"Shall we dance, Darling?" he asked in Italian.
"Of course, My Love," she replied in the same language.
Actor led her through pockets of couples or small groups, exchanging pleasantries in French, Italian or heavily accented English, on a meandering path to the middle of the room where couples were dancing to the strains of a string orchestra. Actor stepped in front of Teresa and took her gloved hand in his. Her other hand with the clutch rested against his right shoulder. They moved into the dance with an ease born of much practice and trust in their partner.
Though they appeared to be intensely involved with each other, their eyes took in everything as they circled and glided around the floor. The sweet nothings they whispered to each other were observations of people and pairings. Terry's eyes brushed over her brother, catching the faint nod without acknowledging it. As they turned, Actor observed the Lieutenant accepting a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and making his way to the other two of their group. Another turn allowed Teresa to see Craig and Casino slip from the room.
When the dance ended, Actor guided the girl to begin mingling with the other guests. So far, they had not had to introduce themselves by their aliases of the Count and Countess DiMarco of Rome, staunch supporters of Mussolini, visiting here in Vichy France. Terry was happy at least this once she was playing a wife and not a mistress. That went straight to hell.
"Conte Mancini!" boomed a loud Italian voice.
GGGGG
Garrison and Casino moved casually down the hall, engaged in conversation. They paused a short way from the office they wanted and lit cigarettes, continuing to converse; Garrison in quiet German and the safecracker in simple Italian. If anyone had come close enough, they would have been puzzled by conversations that did not meet or make sense. However, if anyone had come that close, Garrison would have taken over the conversation in German. As the two men faced each other, any lip readers would have only observed one side of the conversation and it would not have been in English.
Satisfied they had not been followed and were not being observed, they ducked into the office. The lieutenant took up a post by the door while Casino located the wall safe behind a painting Actor, the art snob, would have deemed a poor copy.
Casino had the safe open in short order, disgusted again because there was a fine amount of cash he could not liberate. They were only copying the papers Garrison was after so they could not touch the money. Casino traded places with Garrison, grumbling to himself that it just didn't pay to keep opening these safes if they couldn't get any financial gain from the caper.
Garrison reached in the safe and extracted the handful of large envelopes from the middle shelf. He walked quickly to the desk, laying the envelopes on it and pulled a light bulb and camera from his pocket. He replaced the light bulb in the desk lamp and turned it on. Opening the first envelope, he had to grin. It was the right one the first time.
Casino cast quick glances to see how the Warden was doing as the lieutenant began taking microfilm pictures of each page. Maybe this would be a quick in and out job hoped the safecracker. That went straight to hell. As he peeked back through the crack in the door, Casino spotted a German general walking with confidence directly toward the room they were in. He snapped his fingers sharply at Garrison, making urgent pointing motions of a forefinger toward the hall.
Sweeping the papers and envelopes into a pile on the desk top, Garrison flipped off the desk lamp and shoved the camera into his pocket. He hid behind the long blackout drapes on a nearby window as Casino closed the safe door and pushed the painting back in place. The safecracker barely had time to hide behind the door before it opened.
The door pushed back, but was held in place by a strong hand and forearm as the general stepped just inside the doorway. Casino waited for him to move farther into the room and give him a chance to knock the man out. That move seemed to be anticipated as the man never moved.
"Come, Gentlemen," said the middle-aged, stocky, blond man in heavily accented German. "I am aware you are here. I have been waiting for you. I wish merely to speak with you."
Neither hidden man made a move or an answer, remaining silent and frozen, barely breathing, while waiting for the officer's next move.
"And if I were to give you something more than copies of those papers to take back to the Allies?" he said temptingly.
Garrison knew it was a matter of time before the German discovered their hiding places. If he stood inside the open door talking much longer, someone was bound to see him and investigate. The only thing Craig could do was try to talk their way out of this or at least give Casino a chance at nailing the man. With an inscrutable face he had learned from Actor, Garrison stepped from behind the drape.
"If you want to talk, then you better close the door," he advised.
The German grinned. "And be attacked by your man behind it? First call him off first and then we will talk."
Garrison shrugged nonchalantly and motioned Casino to do nothing. He watched the German slowly step forward, close the door silently behind him, and flip on the light switch. A glance, assessing the danger from the unsmiling man behind the door was the only acknowledgement of Casino's presence.
"I am General Ernst Horst," said the German conversationally, turning his attention to the blond man who was obviously in charge.
Garrison did not give his name. "You said you were waiting for us. You have something more you wish to give us."
"Yes," replied Horst. "Those papers you are trying to copy are mine. I have been carrying them all over France. The information they contain is important enough to warrant sending in a team."
"And you want us to have that information," led Garrison. "So just what more are you wanting us to have, and why?"
The general took a step forward and pulled a pack of Balkan Sobranies from his pocket and offered a cigarette to Garrison. His studious ignoring of Casino wasn't lost on the safecracker. Garrison shook his head.
The German officer took a minute to light his cigarette and take a long puff, blowing the smoke out slowly. "I find myself in a tenuous position with the Führer. I have been associated with some people who, shall we say, are not in his favor. It is a matter of time before I am called to task for those associations."
He took another puff. Garrison watched him, not offering any comments.
The general continued. "I wish to be taken to England. I have much information, time tables, plans, troop locations, which would be of great interest to your side."
The corners of Garrison's mouth turned up into a smile that did not reach his eyes. "And what guarantee do I have this isn't some kind of trap."
"My word as an officer."
Casino gave a snort of disbelief. Garrison motioned him to be quiet.
"No," said the general. "Your man is correct to be distrustful. All I can offer is my word. It is up to you to take the chance with me."
Craig silently contemplated the situation. It could easily be a trap. Then again, it wasn't the first time a high official in the Reich had wanted out. They had been sent in to retrieve more than one officer. Garrison figured the odds to be about fifty-fifty. If it was a trap, they would walk into it, but at least with open eyes. If it wasn't and they refused to accommodate the general, he could very easily turn them over to the Gestapo to make himself look like a loyal follower of Hitler.
"All right, you come with us," said Garrison.
The lieutenant ignored the rolled eyes and grimace of disgust on the face of his safecracker.
GGGGG
Terry felt the muscles in Actor's arm stiffen under her hand. She gazed around trying to spot the owner of the voice. A short, rotund man about Actor's age was pushing through the crowd toward them. She noted the wide smile of unfeigned pleasure beneath the thinning dark hair.
The con man's heart almost stopped. It was only years of perfecting his craft that kept his countenance from showing his shock as he watched the man, as richly dressed as himself, rapidly bouncing off people in his hurry to reach Actor. Still, he could not help but grin back.
"Ah, Angelo, so good to see you, My Friend," said Actor heartily in Italian.
"Vittorio, I haven't seen you in years. Did you drop off the face of the earth?" laughed the man.
"So to speak," said Actor.
Terry stood by, smiling, as the two men embraced and slapped each other on the back. So much for the planned con. It was improvisation time. The man eyed Terry with approval.
"Your countess, Vittorio?" asked Angelo.
For once, Actor was at a loss for words. Terry stepped in quickly and smoothly.
"Alas, no. Just a girlfriend. But I am working on that. You know what a playboy Vittorio is." She held her hand out to receive a kiss on the fingers. "Teresa DiMarco. Angelo?"
"Ferrari," answered Actor, regaining his senses.
Terry smiled brightly, "Of the famous motorcar?"
"Unfortunately, no. A third cousin." Angelo dismissed her as one of Vittorio's many women and turned his attention back to Actor. "Who has the vineyards now? I have not seen the Mancini name in many years."
"The vineyards have all been sold except for the one south of Milano."
"You are living at the northern villa now?" asked Angelo.
"No," replied Actor. "I moved to America about ten years ago". He gave an elegant shrug. "Less trouble with the government over money. Carlo is running the vineyard."
"Excuse me, Gentlemen," interrupted Terry. "I need to powder my nose. I will be back in a minute," she said.
Angelo bobbed his head to her, eyes not leaving his old friend. Terry walked toward the archway to the hall with a smile plastered on her face. As she neared Chief, she motioned with her eyes for him to meet her in the hall. He followed her a few seconds later.
"Somethin' ain't right," whispered Chief.
Terry shook her head. "The man Actor's with knows him. Actor is now Count Mancini and I am his friend, Teresa DiMarco."
"Who is the guy?" asked the Indian.
"I don't know. If Actor is using Mancini, I would suspect an old mark or an acquaintance. The guy does not strike me as a confidence man."
They watched the two Italians from a distance. The conversation seemed friendly and animated.
"Why isn't Actor tryin' to get away from him?" whispered Chief.
Terry shook her head. "Maybe he's afraid of what the guy might say to someone else and blow the whole thing. If he is an old mark, judging by what was said, it must have been a really elaborate con."
A movement from down the hall caught Chief's attention. He casually turned and spotted Garrison and Casino, accompanied by a German officer. "Trouble," he whispered to Terry.
The girl laughed and turned to Chief, so she could see over his shoulder. Terry paid no attention as the men walked right up to them. She and Chief remained silent, waiting to find out how this mess was going to play out.
Garrison looked past her toward his confidence man. "What are you doing over here?" he asked his sister in whispered English.
"Trouble over there," she replied quietly. She then gave a pointed look at the German general.
"He's with us," said Garrison. "Get Actor and let's get out of here."
Terry gave a tiny nod. "What's his name?" she asked with a flick of her eyes toward the general.
"General Ernst Horst," replied the officer making a polite but silent heel click to the woman.
The men moved down the hall toward the front door, leaving Terry to paste a smile on her face and walk back over to the two Italians. Reaching Actor, she slipped her arm through his elbow and squeezed it possessively. He looked down at her and patted her hand.
"I'm sorry to interrupt," said Terry in Italian. "Vittorio, there is a General Ernst Horst in the hall. He said he wishes to see you on an urgent matter. He sent me to get you."
"Thank you, Carina," said Actor. With a sigh of resignation, he turned back to the other man. "I apologize, Angelo. I really must attend to this matter."
The rotund man leaned forward conspiratorially and said, "Ah, these Nazii: they have no class. Always in such a hurry and usually for the most inconsequential things."
"Hopefully, this will not take very long," said Actor convivially, "and we may resume our conversation."
The con man turned and guided Terry toward the hall. When they entered it, Terry took over guiding him in the direction of the front door. They unhurriedly received their coats, Actor helping Teresa into hers before donning his. After they had slipped around a small cluster of officers in jovial conversation on the steps, the Italian leaned closer to the girl.
"What is going on?" he asked, quietly.
"We have to get out of here," whispered Terry. "There is a general and he's with Craig."
Obviously nothing was going right on this mission either, thought Actor in frustration. He kept the pace leisurely as they left the building and walked in the direction of the car. His concern did not abate when he saw Garrison standing beside the open back door of the vehicle. The Lieutenant shook his head and motioned for Actor and Terry to get in the other side. Actor opened the door for Teresa.
Terry looked inside and hesitated. The car had just held the six of them tightly. Now there were seven. She glanced up at Actor.
"I'll get in. You sit and I will sit on the floor when you close the door." She gave an insincere smile to the German. "Excuse me, Herr General." She crawled in, leaning over in front of the man and gracing her brother with a look of exasperation. Actor squeezed in and shut the door. Terry wasn't sure how she was going to fit between his knees and the back of the front seat. That decision was taken out of her hands by a strong arm that went around her waist and pulled her down onto the confidence man's lap.
"We came in with a woman, so we must leave with a woman," explained Actor.
"Yeah and if we are stopped, how are we going to explain this?" asked Terry, waiting expectantly to hear his con for this one.
Before Actor could come up with one, Garrison did.
"Actor, you have that flask on you?" the lieutenant asked his second.
"Yes," replied the Italian, not following the plan yet. He wiggled his hand between Terry's ribs and his chest, retrieving the flask from an inner jacket pocket.
"Good," said Craig. "Give it to Terry. You met up with your old friend, General Horst, and we are all going out to party in private. Terry is the entertainment." He looked at his sister, "You are happily drunk."
"Great," said Terry sarcastically.
She uncapped the flask and took a swallow of the cognac. It was not enough to intoxicate her, but enough to have some on her breath if things got close. She was very aware of her knees tight against the German's left leg and didn't like it. There was no room to maneuver.
The general looked appraisingly at Actor. "And you are, Sir?" he asked.
"Count Vittorio Mancini," replied the con man with steady disdain.
If Garrison had any thoughts on the change in name, he didn't show it. Instead he glanced at his sister. Terry was wearing an inscrutable expression. It was Actor who felt the tension in the young woman through his arm that rested across her thighs and the one around her back, even through his jacket and hers.
As they pulled up to the gate, Terry tossed her head back and laughed, throwing an arm over Actor's head and around his neck to keep her balance and bringing one stocking-clad slim leg up across the general's knees. She almost gouged Garrison's leg with a spiked heel, not entirely accidently.
The soldier at the gate looked inside the car with puzzlement. There were more people in it now than when it had arrived. He turned toward his officer and the major walked over to peer inside.
"Herr General?" the Wehrmacht officer questioned. "Is everything all right?"
Horst smiled. "Of course, Major."
The major wasn't sure he was buying this. He hesitated, looking at each of the individuals in the vehicle. The Italian looked stern. The woman who had come in with him was obviously drunk. The SS Oberst was smiling benignly. The three in the front seat were staring straight ahead.
The general realized the major was about to ask more questions. He did not like to explain himself to an underling, but in this case it was a necessity. He damned the Nazis for making their guards so conscientious. "I am just going to join my old friend, Count Mancini for a private party. All is in order, let us through." When the man was slow in responding, the general spat, "At once, you imbecile!"
The major backed away hurriedly and motioned for the barrier to be raised. Goniff drove through and did not slow down. Garrison's hand eased unnoticed from the gun in the shoulder holster under his jacket.
Terry looked at the German with narrowed eyes. His hand had casually come to rest on her leg and was lightly squeezing it. "May I have my leg back now, Herr General?" she asked icily in perfect German.
"Oh, but of course, Fraulein," he replied, pulling his hand away.
The young woman carefully bent her knee up, left hand with the flask in it trying to keep her hem from riding up too high on her thigh. She pushed her foot down between the German and Actor, not caring that her shoe raked down the side of the German's leg.
"It is a lovely leg, My Dear," he said, just on the safe side of lecherous.
"Thank you," replied Terry, voice still icy.
Actor's arm tightened around her. He could still feel the tension in her. She did not trust this general one bit and neither did he. What he did not realize was that Teresa was aware of the tension in him. There was something else bothering Actor besides the presence of the general. It kept him silent when he would normally have been assisting Garrison feeling out the lay of the land with their unexpected guest.
As they neared the edge of town, on their way to the safe house, Garrison leaned forward and tapped Casino on the shoulder.
"Yeah, Warden?" said the safecracker.
"Only one car isn't going to work," said Garrison. "We have to change the plan. I want you to get us another car and take Goniff with you. We'll also need an SS uniform for Actor."
"Sure Warden," said Casino. "Not a problem."
"Wot rank?" asked Goniff.
"The highest you can find," replied Garrison. He wanted Actor to have a rank as close to the general's as possible.
Goniff slowed the vehicle down and pulled over to the curb. The safecracker and the pickpocket got out quickly and disappeared into the shadows. Chief slid over behind the wheel and the car took off again. Terry stayed where she was; not wanting to take the time or risk being observed changing seats.
As they continued on to the safe house, Garrison wondered what else was going wrong. His sister was silent, watching the general with an unreadable expression that barely showed in the dimly lit interior of the car. His second was strangely silent too. Actor would usually have been making conversation with the general to feel out his mood and agenda. Terry's arm remained around the con man's neck and he made no attempt to remove it.
This left Garrison to talk to Horst. Now that they were away from town and it looked like they might get away, the German officer was becoming nervous. Craig started conversing with the man, asking questions in a friendly fashion about his background and making comments on some of the places they had both been. Luckily, Garrison was somewhat familiar with Berlin. The general was more concerned with having to leave behind his 16th century collection of steins.
When they arrived at the farmhouse they were using, Chief got out of the car and did a turn around the perimeter before cautiously entering the building. The others remained in the car.
"Is there a problem?" asked the general.
"Just making sure there isn't," replied Garrison.
Chief came out on the small porch and motioned it was clear. Garrison got out first, followed by the general. Terry twisted off Actor's lap and sat on the seat. The Italian got out of his side and held a hand out for her as she followed him. Actor unhurriedly caught up with Garrison and escorted the German into the house. Terry followed slowly. Chief came down the steps and walked up to the girl, sensing something was bothering her.
"It's okay, Little Sister," he whispered to her. "Actor and I ain't gonna let him do anything to you."
"I know," nodded Terry. "It's just I don't like him and I don't know why."
"Maybe because he's a Kraut?" suggested Chief.
"Probably."
"Watch Actor," said the Indian. "He'll figure out if the guy's on the level or not."
Terry didn't want to tell Chief that Actor wasn't being himself either.